Ethanol is often produced for and utilized as a component in various consumable products, e.g., beer, wine, and spirits. Typically, ethanol intended for such uses is produced via fermentation. Many government agencies impose high duties or taxes on consumable ethanol, thereby increasing the cost to consumers.
There are, however, many other uses for ethanol that do not involve consumption, e.g., fuels, chemical solvents, or pharmaceuticals. As such, in an effort to provide inexpensive ethanol for non-consumable uses, the duties or taxes imposed on consumable ethanol are typically not required for ethanol that is not intended to be consumed. To ensure that such ethanol compositions are used for non-consumable applications, most countries have laws and regulations requiring that these ethanol compositions include a denaturant, which is added to an otherwise substantially pure ethanol composition in order to render the ethanol non-potable. Thus, ethanol compositions that include a denaturant and which are not intended for consumption are commonly referred to as “denatured ethanol” or “denatured alcohol.” Conventional denaturants include methanol, isopropyl alcohol, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, ethyl acetate, methyl isobutyl ketone, and acetaldehyde.
The processing step of adding a denaturant to an otherwise potable ethanol composition adds complication and cost to in conventional processes for forming denatured ethanol. Thus, the need exists for new and improved processes for forming denatured ethanol.